We're very wrapped up around here with the NHL playoffs, but there's another playoff seres for the Penguins organization going on right now. In the blink of an eye, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have played three games in the past three games days against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Game 1 Recap (Friday): Chris Minard and Dustin Jeffrey scored to give the Pens a 2-0 lead. Luca Caputi put another on the board to make it 3-0. The Sound Tigers rallied back to make it 3-2 but John Curry held strong and Wilkes-Barre took a 1-0 series lead. Unfortunately though, Janne Pesonen would leave this game with an apparant hand/wrist injury and has been out of the playoffs ever since with not much in the way of details for his return.
Game 2 Recap (Saturday): This game was in Bridgeport, thanks to some scheduling quirks with the Sound Tigers. Back in their own barn, they came out the gates strong and took a 4-2 lead into the third period. But defenseman Andy Wozniewski with 6 minutes left in the game to make it 4-3. Ben Lovejoy then tied it on a great rush up the ice to force over-time. Four minutes into OT, Minard scored the game winner to give the Baby Pens a 2-0 series lead.
Game 3 Recap (Sunday): The game would be back in Wilkes-Barre but Tim Wallace wouldn't be available, as he was suspended a game for a hit to the head. Still, WB/S roared out the gates taking a 4-1 lead in the game on the strength of Jean-Michel Daoust's two goals and two assists. Undeterred, Bridgeport rallied back to score three goals in regulation and then take the game in OT.
It's seemed like a real back and forth battle, which shouldn't be a surprise since Bridgeport (49-23-3-5) and Wilkes-Barre (49-25-3-3) had almost identical regular season records and are no strangers to one another. In the best of seven battle, expect this one to keep going right down to the wire until one of the teams emerge to move on.